Local Share informational meetings scheduled

Three informational meetings on how to file an application to receive the sixth round of money from the Local Share Account of gambling revenues from The Meadows Racetrack & Casino are coming up.

The gatherings for governmental and nongovernmental representatives hoping to tap into the approximately $8 million expected to be available during this sixth round are scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday at the Smith Township Building; 2 p.m. Tuesday at Western Area Career and Technology Center; and at 7 p.m. Aug. 30 in the public meeting room of the Courthouse Square office building.

The 2013 local share is based on 2012 revenue, and the exact amount will be available in January.

Those interested may attend a meeting convened at any location, said William McGowen, executive director of the Washington County Redevelopment Authority, which administers the local share program on behalf of the county commissioners.

“Maybe there’s somebody new in the government or nonprofit,” McGowen said. “And it’s for review for other people, too. Maybe they haven’t applied in a couple of years.”

The series of meetings began Wednesday in Donora. Applications are available online at www.RACW.net.

Applications are due Oct, 17 with dates of public hearings on the proposed projects held on dates to be announced.

Slot-machine gambling at The Meadows casino was introduced in June 2007, while table games were added more recently. Applications for special projects are made in addition to the $10 per capita “revenue sharing” allocation for most municipalities.

Although no mergers of municipalities appear to be imminent, McGowen noted that merging boroughs, cities or townships receive a bonus for three years, and the amount of their “lifetime” local share will remain the same as the municipalities would have received separately so as not to penalize them for consolidating.